Síntesis informativa - 29 de enero 2019
RT
US gives opposition leader Guaido control over some Venezuelan assets
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has authorized Venezuelan opposition leader and self-declared interim president, Juan Guaido, to take control of US-held assets belonging to the country’s government. The certification, issued on Tuesday, applies to certain Venezuelan government and Central Bank property held by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any other US insured banks.
US sanctions have effectively barred Maduro’s government from borrowing on international markets and targeted anyone involved in gold sales from Venezuela. Venezuela’s gold reserves are estimated at more than $8 billion, while the value of its assets in American banks is unclear.
The Trump administration further ratcheted up its pressure campaign on Maduro by announcing sanctions against Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA on Monday. The US Treasury Department seized $7 billion in PDVSA assets, and the sanctions will affect $11 billion worth of oil exports over the coming year.
https://www.rt.com/news/450049-us-gives-opposition-assets/
THE NEW YORK TIMES
ISIS Bombing of Cathedral in Philippines Shows Group’s Reach Into Asia
BANGKOK — A deadly bombing of a cathedral in the Philippines has brought fresh attention to the Islamic State’s ability to metastasize across the world, even as the militant group has been reduced to a sliver of turf in Syria.
The attack, consisting of two detonations, struck the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the island of Jolo at the southern end of the Philippines, a region where Muslim insurgents have for decades battled the Catholic-majority state. At least 20 people were confirmed dead in the assault, which took place just as worshipers gathered for Mass on Sunday.
Through various online bulletins, the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, claimed responsibility.
With U.S. and Taliban in Talks, Afghans Fear They Could End Up Trampled
KABUL, Afghanistan — A giant H has been painted on the broad boulevard in front of the American Embassy in Kabul, creating a new helipad that so far, embassy officials say, has only been used by Zalmay Khalilzad, the special United States diplomat who has been talking with the Taliban.
President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan usually uses the roads, moving in armored convoys that snarl traffic in the gridlock-weary capital.
The pecking order is clear. As American policy in Afghanistan seems bent more than ever on making a deal with Taliban insurgents to withdraw American troops from the country after nearly two decades of war, Mr. Khalilzad’s diplomacy is taking priority.
Taliban Talks Raise Question of What U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan Could Mean
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s headway in Afghan peace negotiations with the Taliban raises the same question that has bedeviled other presidents who extracted American troops from foreign wars: Will the departing Americans end up handing over the country to the same ruthless militants that the United States went to war to dislodge?
A hasty American withdrawal, experts said, would erode the authority and legitimacy of the Afghan government, raising the risk that the Taliban could recapture control of the country. Short of that, it could consign Afghanistan to a protracted, bloody civil war, with Taliban fighters besieging the capital, Kabul, as they did in the 1990s.
Intelligence Chiefs Set to Outline Threat of Chinese Cyberspying
WASHINGTON — Threats posed by Chinese cyberespionage — including the role of the telecommunications giant Huawei as it builds networks around the world — are expected to be among the top risks to American security as outlined by United States spy chiefs on Tuesday.
A hearing in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee is expected to touch on recent indictments against Chinese hackers, Beijing’s intelligence agents and Huawei.
Cyberattacks and cyberespionage have been the top threats outlined by the American intelligence chiefs for several years at their annual threat hearings. The growing concerns within the United States government about the actions of Huawei and other Chinese telecommunications companies are likely to sharpen that assessment on Tuesday.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/us/politics/intelligence-chiefs-senate-threats-.html
THE GUARDIAN
Huawei: China calls US charges 'immoral' as markets slide
In an escalation of hostilities between the world’s biggest economic powers, the US justice department charged Huawei and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, with conspiring to violate sanctions on Iran by doing business with Tehran through a subsidiary it tried to hide. Separately, it said Huawei stole robotic technology from the US carrier T-Mobile.
Wen Ku, a senior official at the ministry of industry and information technology, told reporters in Beijing on Tuesday the indictments were “unfair and immoral".
From Le Pen to Alice Weidel: how the European far-right set its sights on women
At least half a dozen women lead rightwing, populist European parties, such as Alice Weidel, of the AfD, and Giorgia Meloni, of the Brothers of Italy. They follow the leads set by Marine Le Pen of the National Rally (formerly Front National) and, before her, Pia Kjærsgaard, co-founder of the rampantly anti-immigration Danish People’s party, and Norway’s finance minister, Siv Jensen, leader of the country’s similarly anti-immigration Progress party.
France and Italy's war of words steps up as elections approach
Over the past decade, relations between the neighbours have often been tetchy, with France’s role in the 2011 military intervention in Libya, persistent migrant issues at the shared border, and a shopping spree under which French firms snapped up prized Italian rivals stoking animosity.
Relations took a turn for the worse after Italy’s populist government came to power last June. Immigration was the first major catalyst as insults were traded over the handling of migrants: Macron blasted Italy for turning away a migrant rescue ship and Italy responded by accusing him of hypocrisy over the thousands of people rejected by France and sent back to Italy.
Brazil dam collapse: bodies pulled from toxic mud as hope fades for survivors
So far, 60 bodies have been found near Brumadinho in Minas Gerais state. But, as of Monday afternoon, 292 people were still missing – and hopes were fading fast that there will be any survivors. Nobody has been brought out of the disaster area alive since Saturday.
AL JAZEERA
US charges China's Huawei, top executive with bank fraud
Beijing decries 'political manipulations' and Chinese tech giant denies accusations as US government steps up pressure.
The US Department of Justice has filed a series of criminal charges against Chinese tech giant Huawei, two of its subsidiaries and top executive Meng Wanzhou, who are accused of misleading banks about the company's business and violating US sanctions against Iran.
The company is also charged in a separate indictment with stealing trade secrets from T-Mobile, US federal prosecutors said on Monday.
The prosecutors accused Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment in Iran in violation of US sanctions. Huawei had done business in Iran through a Hong Kong company called Skycom and alleged that Meng misled US banks into believing the two companies were separate, according to the Justice Department.
Italy to open port only if Netherlands, Germany accept migrants
Diplomatic deadlock on who should take migrants continues while Italian minister defends his hard-line asylum policy.
The Sea-Watch 3, a Dutch-registered vessel run by the German non-governmental organisation Sea-Watch, rescued the migrants north of the Libyan port of Zuwarah on January 19. It entered Italian waters on Friday to seek shelter from rough seas.
The Netherlands has turned down the request to accept the migrants, as Dutch authorities said they do not think they are responsible.
Sea-Watch lodged a complaint before the European Court of Human Rights. The Italian prime minister's office said Monday it would argue before the court it is up to the Netherlands to deal with the NGO ship and its migrants.
The US gov't may be open again, but fears remain for contractors
As thousands of federal workers went back to work, uncertainty remained for contractors who were furloughed or laid off.
Ola Salem.- Hundreds of thousands of federal employees went back to work on Monday after the longest government shutdown in US history, but contractor Ashante Clay did not.
Sam Berger, a senior adviser at American Progress who worked at the Office of Management and Budget during the 2013 shutdown under former President Barack Obama, said historically contractors are not compensated during shutdowns, although Congress could provide support if they wanted to.
The shutdown also negatively affected private businesses in areas with high concentrations of federal workers.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/gov-open-fears-remain-contractors-190128211135439.html
Brexit vote on May's Plan B: Everything you need to know
Will Tuesday's vote have any impact on the Brexit process? And how is Europe expected to react? Key questions answered.
Gavin O'Toole.- There are an estimated 4.1 million government contractors and grantees across the United States, according to New York University Professor Paul Light, and for many, even with the government back open, their jobs and livelihoods hang in the balance.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/brexit-vote-plan-190129003824953.html
RT
China shows off new ‘Guam Killer’ missile, as tensions with US rise
China has unveiled a new intermediate-range ballistic missile that it claims can strike the US territory of Guam or its warships at sea. The show of strength comes as both countries square off over Taiwan.
The Сhinese government revealed footage of the Dongfeng-26 ballistic missile on state television on Sunday, according to the South China Morning Post. The missile was previously seen at a military parade in Beijing in 2015, and has officially been in service since last April, but has not yet been seen in action.
With a range of 3,000km to 5,741km (1,864 to 3,567 miles), the missile would be capable of striking targets in the US territory of Guam, or US aircraft carriers in the Pacific Ocean or South China Sea. The Dongfeng-26 can be fired from a mobile transporter, and can carry a 1,200kg-1,800kg nuclear or conventional warhead.
https://www.rt.com/news/450060-china-new-missile-guam/
US accuses Huawei of stealing trade secrets & dodging Iran sanctions
The US Department of Justice has unsealed two indictments charging the Chinese technology giant Huawei of fraud and conspiracy to steal T-Mobile’s robot technology and dodge the US sanctions to do business in Iran.
A 10-count indictment filed in Washington State claims Huawei conspired to steal T-Mobile’s intellectual property between 2012 and 2014, specifically the smartphone-testing robot named ‘Tappy,’ and offering bonuses to employees who succeeded in stealing corporate secrets from the US.A second, 13-count indictment filed in New York charges Huawei’s US subsidiaries for alleged involvement in a conspiracy to dodge US sanctions against Iran, obstruction of justice, wire fraud and bank fraud – and singles out Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Wanzhou Meng, who was arrested last month in Canada.
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the charges on Monday afternoon in Washington.
https://www.rt.com/usa/450004-usa-charges-huawei-iran-fraud/
OpSec fail or unspoken threat? Bolton’s ‘5,000 troops’ notepad line ups ante for Venezuela
US national security adviser John Bolton seemed to be broadcasting big plans for the regime-change operation in Venezuela when he was photographed with a yellow legal pad on which he’d scrawled “5,000 troops to Colombia.”
Bolton clutched the notepad during Monday’s White House press briefing, in which the administration announcedsanctions against Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA. The mustachioed warmonger opined on the “threats” to the US inherent in President Nicolas Maduro’s closeness with Cuba and couldn’t resist dragging Iran into the matter, vis-à-vis its “interest in Venezuela’s uranium deposits.” But sharp-eyed journalists zeroed in on the notepad immediately.
https://www.rt.com/news/450006-bolton-pad-colombia-troops/
AL MAYADEEN
Alrededor de 600 soldados de EE.UU. arriban a base militar en Siria pese a anuncio de retirada
Según la fuente, los efectivos estadounidenses ahora están ubicados en las bases en la provincia de Alepo, incluida la región de Sarin, ya que se espera que se conviertan en los puntos clave donde las tropas estadounidenses se retirarán del estado devastado por la guerra.
Cinco mil tropas a Colombia, la comprometedora anotación de John Bolton
Al parecer por un descuido el asesor de seguridad de Donald Trump dejó abierta la libreta con la mencionada nota durante la rueda de prensa hoy en la Casa Blanca, en la que fueron anunciadas sanciones adicionales contra la compañía estatal Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa).
